Eaton to split off its lighting business

Eaton’s lighting manufacturing facility in Mexico. The company says the separation of the lighting division would ‘better position the business to respond to evolving industry and customer needs’.

EATON HAS announced that it’s to separate out its lighting business.

The move will create an independent, publicly traded company and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Eaton's CGLine+ Adaptive Evacuation Matrix won a 2018 Lux Award in the emergency lighting innovation of the year category. It's believed the emergency lighting products will stay with Eaton while the lighting division is hived off.

Included in the new enterprise will be commercial lighting and specialist airport lighting as well as the mains lighting and intrusion systems businesses that operate primarily in Europe and the Middle East.

However, the Crouse-Hinds Industrial Lighting business and Life Safety Division’s Emergency Lighting product lines in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will remain with Eaton.

In a letter to customers, Kraig Kasler and Joe Melchiors, the president and vice president of sales at Eaton’s Lighting Division, said the separation of the division would ‘better position the business to respond to evolving industry and customer needs.

’It enables Lighting to compete more effectively across its diverse end-markets, and it enhances Eaton’s ability to focus investments in its core businesses.

‘Over the next few months, we will be working to finalise the spin-off and ensure a seamless transition for our employees, customers and valued business partners.

‘In the meantime, however, it’s business as usual’.

In 2018, Eaton’s lighting division sold over £1.3 billion (US$1.7 billion, €1.5 billon) worth of luminaires and systems to customers in the commercial, industrial, residential and local authority markets.

Eaton itself describes itself as a power management company and has annual sales of £16.4 billion (US$21.6 billion, €19 billion). It employs 99,000 people worldwide and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.

Learn more about emergency lighting in the Escape Zone at LuxLive 2019 taking place on Wednesday 13 November and Thursday 14 November 2019 at ExCeL London. Entry is free. For more information, click HERE.